Abstract: A gripper head for gripping a reaction cuvette in an appliance for automatically analyzing chemical or biological samples, the head comprising pivoting fingers designed to engage lugs that extend from two opposite sides of the top end of the cuvette, an electromagnetic or pneumatic actuator for controlling pivoting of the fingers in one direction, and return springs urging the fingers to pivot in the opposite direction.

Abstract: This method of manufacturing packaging articles each having a hollow body provided with a neck-forming open end comprises the steps of applying a flat piece of thermoplastic material over the open end of a mold recess, of heating said material, of punching the material by inserting a piston into the mold cavity through its opening so as to form a blank, of blowing the resulting blank against the wall of the mold, and opening the mold. The mold is constituted by an assembly of elements each constituting a matrix for molding a segment of an article, and the mold is opened by separating the elements of each pair. While the mold is being opened, the article is sucked against a bottom element of the mold.